First Game Of The Season
by bubbles799
Summary: They always made it to the first game of the season. Always. But would this be the first year they didn't?


**Title:** First Game Of The Season  
**Author:** bubbles799  
**Show:** _Packed to the Rafters_  
**Characters:** Packed to the Rafters family fiction.  
**Summary:** They always made it to the first game of the season. Always. But would this be the first year they didn't?  
**Disclaimer:** Still not mine...

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_**Something I just came up with. Would love for you to let me know what you think. **_

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For Dave Rafter, cricket was his thing. Most people have something they are exceptionally good at, or something they enjoyed. A hobby. For Dave, that was cricket.

It was no secret that he'd endured a rough childhood. And something that had given him a chance to snap out of his glum future and have a little fun was cricket. Cricket had been with him, as they say, through the good times and the bad. And it was something Dave was proud of.

And on the first game of every season, the whole family came, even their neighbour Carbo. It's the way it always had been. Julie had taken the kids down, even when they were small. Ted and Louise would come along too. It was a family event. Even as times changed, the family always came.

Times changed dramatically in 2008, when Louise died and Nathan married. They were without their beloved Louise, and they had a new addition to the family in Nathan's new wife Sammy. And then when Ben had married and Melissa had become a member of the Rafter clan.

It was a family event, and Dave was glad to have their support on display.

/

The morning of a new season was here, and Julie was up to make her husband a hearty breakfast before they headed to the cricket.

"Mmm, something smells good," Dave commented as he came into the kitchen. Ruby was on the floor, playing with her toys. Dave held out his arms to her, and the little girl came crawling over. "There's my little Rubes!"

"And for you," Julie smiled at her husband, placing a plate with eggs, toast and bacon down on the table before him.

"Thanks Jules," Dave said, turning to the table as Ruby went back to her toys. Julie finished packing some food in the picnic basket, before turning back to Dave.

"Watch Ruby for a minute?" Julie said, passing by her husband and touching his shoulder as she passed. "I'm going to make sure Nathan and Ben are coming."

"It's okay Jules," Dave said, swallowing a piece of toast. "Rachel's not coming anyway, isn't she?"

"I don't know," Julie replied honestly. "But I will be getting as many of this family together today, even if it kills me."

/

"Can't you get out of it?" Julie asked her son a few minutes later. She was standing in the kitchen of the neighbouring house. Ben was standing at the counter in the kitchen, whilst Melissa was sitting at the table eating cereal, Nathan doing the same thing.

"We've got three functions on today, Mum," Ben told her. "They need me there."

"It's the first game of the season," Julie told him. "We always go and watch your Dad."

"I'd love to Mum, but..." Nathan began, before Melissa jumped in before him.

"I'll be there, if that's alright," added Melissa.

"Of course," Julie said, before turning back to Ben. "Ben, we always go along."

"Rachel's not even coming, is she?"

"Rachel's just had a baby," Julie said back. "She's in hospital. But that's why we need to get as many of us there as possible. You're the boss, can't you sort it out?"

"I'll see," Ben finally agreed. "But I can't guarantee."

"Ben..."

"I'll try, okay?" Ben said, reaching over to pick up the phone sitting on the cradle on the bench.

/

"Well I'm off," Dave said to his wife a little later, heading over to her for a kiss.

"We'll be down in time for it to start," Julie replied, half-heartedly. "But I don't know that we'll all be there. Obviously Rachel's out and Ben's working..."

"It's okay," Dave told Julie reassuringly. "Don't worry about it."

"No, we always go," Julie responded, throwing down the tea towel she'd been holding. "All of us. It's tradition."

"Jules..."

"No Dave, it's not alright," Julie cut him off, before sighing. "But Ruby, Melissa and I will be there. And Dad's coming too."

"See? So I'll have a cheer squad there anyway," Dave reassured her. "It'll be fine; don't stress."

It didn't seem to both Dave as much as it did Julie. But it was tradition, one that had existed for years, and Julie wasn't ready to let that slip away just yet.

/

Almost admitting defeat, Julie had taken Ruby along to the cricket. On the way over, Melissa had been cheerful and Julie had tried, but ultimately failed. Now sitting on the rug and fold-out chairs with Melissa and her Dad, Julie sat Ruby down in her lap.

"Have you ever wondered why they play in white," Melissa said from behind her sunglasses.

"I'd love to know whose bright idea that was, given I wash his cricket uniform," Julie agreed, drinking the orange juice in her hand.

Out on the cricket pitch, the field with littered with players, waiting for the game to start.

"Can you pass us the water, love?" Ted asked from behind the two girls. Julie turned back whilst Melissa reached for the water bottles and passed it back.

"Let's go Dave!" Melissa called out as the players began taking their places.

"Mum!"

The Rafter family sitting to watch turned around to see Rachel and Jake heading over, Jake holding a capsule in his hands as they hurried over.

"Rachel!" Julie couldn't help but exclaim as she stood up. "We thought you weren't coming?"

"No way," Jake answered as he stopped behind the chairs.

"Mum, first game of the season," Rachel told her mother knowingly. "Couldn't miss it." Julie couldn't help but smile.

"I know your Dad will appreciate you being here. Both of you. Three of you!" she amended quickly, reaching out to hug her daughter.

"Ouch, gentle Mum," Rachel laughed.

"Sorry darling," Julie apologised. "So sit down."

Everyone had gotten themselves comfortable, Rachel taking her seat on fold out chair, Jake on the ground and Melissa holding the newest addition to the Rafter family, baby Sienna.

"Go Dad!" Rachel called out, getting into the spirit. "Can I have a sandwich Mum?"

The game had started, and the family were watching as Dave's team batted well.

"They started without us!" Julie was the one to turn around as she saw her two boys making their way over to the family sitting on the ground, an esky in the hands. Rachel was next to turn around.

"Oi you two! I made it and I think I had a better excuse than both of you," she teased. "What's yours?"

"Derek covered for me," Ben said as he came up next to Ted and Jake. "So I'm going to have to work like a hundred shifts in return..."

"Doesn't matter, you're here," Julie said as Nathan took a seat next to his Mum.

"Figured this was more important that drinks with tossers," Nathan coughed up. "As you said, this is tradition." Julie smiled even more, putting her arm around her son proudly.

"So what's this? How many years and we still haven't broken it," Ted said.

"Tradition wins all," Julie replied. "It means a lot to your Dad."

"Mum, it bothers you more than Dad," Ben laughed.

"Shut up Benny!" cut in Rachel. "Yeah, he's right Mum."

"It's about being a family," responded Julie adamantly. "It's something we always do, now let's shut up and watch your father."

"Mum, little ears!" Nathan teased his Mum, covering his little sister's ears.

/

"What's Dave's highest?" Jake asked from his spot as they neared the end. By this point, the family had eaten most of the food, Ruby had fallen asleep on Nathan's lap and baby Sienna was being held by her 'favourite' uncle Ben.

"He scores this and he beats it," Nathan answered. "115?" Julie nodded.

"You can do it Dad!" Rachel called out encouragingly.

"Go Dad!" Nathan added, startling Ruby. "Sorry Rubes."

It was an intense moment as the bowler began his run up, the ball slipping from his hand in the direction of Dave's bat. And then he hit it, and everyone held their breaths. The ball went up in the air, and the family cheered. Rachel was first on her feet, cringing briefly before joining in the celebrations. Melissa embraced her husband, while Jake and Ted clapped. Nathan called out happily.

As Dave went back to join his family, he saw for the first time that he had his whole 'team' behind him. From his father-in-law, right down to his granddaughter.

"You all made it," he said with a smile as he hugged his wife tightly.

"You betcha," Ben replied, before he began singing again. "He's our Dave Rafter!"

As they began packing up, Dave had to smile. Even after all these years, they still had their tradition, and he had his cheer squad. He hadn't wanted to admit it before, but having his family there to back him meant so much to him. And he was truly grateful they were all there to celebrate his win, as a family.

/

_**So, how did we all pull up after Australia Day celebrations? I did alright. I mean, I drove everyone home from the fireworks so I wasn't drunk. And the celebrations were going great... And then I quite literally broke my nose when we arrived home! It's not actually broken, I don't think anyway. I wasn't prepared for a trip to the emergency ward, which I have managed to avoid so far in 2011. But talk about painful! I'd love to know how a nose can hurt so much; it's almost useless! Even doing sit-ups hurts. **_

_**So my celebrations were like I had been drinking. I passed out, just from injury not over-drinking. And I had a huge headache, just from having a smashed nose and not from being hungover.**_

_**In the meantime, would love if you could leave a review on the way out. I wasn't as happy with this as I should have been, but if I didn't write it up, it would bug me. **_


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